Clato
by Beatriz Toledo
Summary: This is just another Clato fanfiction... Hope y'all enjoy it :D


The first time I saw her, I mean I had seen her around at school and the training center but the first time I really noticed her was when I walked into the training center Clove threw a knife at my head.

We, what the other districts call 'Careers', start training when we're twelve and volunteer when someone not prepared is reaped. So, the first time I saw her we were twelve years old and I saw that tiny little girl trying to fight with a sword, she was swift but she held it as it was a knife. She wasn't all that pretty so I wasn't interested.

Two years later, I saw the knife zooming by my ear I ducked and looked around for the thrower. I locked eyes with the petite young girl who couldn't hold the sword, I didn't know why I hadn't noticed her before, her fierce eyes were amazing, dazzling, could hold any pray just still enough for the kill. As I thought that I saw her pointing the second knife towards my face and realized I was her pray, she smiled wickedly.

"What is wrong with you?" I screamed, rage took over me and I grabbed the spear closest to me and threw back at her. I sucked at throwing; I was more a hand-to-hand combat person, I had to get closer. I went behind the practice dummies, everything I learned as survival skills came rushing with the adrenaline. Camouflage, I'm big so is hard to hide, I should pay more attention to that stage, if I survive this chick. Another knife hit the dummy. I had to find a way to turn her around, or I could just dodge. She lowered down to get another three knives. That was my opening, so I ran. One, dodge. Two, dodge. The third one cut my arm, it hurt but I had learned to endure pain. I was on her. I grabbed her wrist, twisted around her back and locked another arm around her neck. "Dead." I whispered in her ear.

As I was letting go, she turned around, kicked between the legs and knocked me down on the floor. She was on top of me with a knife at my throat. "Dead." She whispered. "_Never _underestimate your enemy."

She got off of me and we got up. My cut was still bleeding; I wiped some of the blood in my hand on her cheek. She looked annoyed, good. I smiled.

"I'm Cato."

"I know. I'm Clove."

"I know." I didn't, but she didn't need to know. "I think I should go to the infirmary, before it gets infected."

"Yeah, you should. I'll go with you."

Later on that day, the trainer came up to and said:

"Either you're pretty lucky or really skilled, 'cause Clover _never _misses."

For weeks the girl with the knife wouldn't get out of my head, those eyes mocking me, she had guts. And I liked it. In the end she became my best friend and best training partner. I broke her arm a few time and her leg once, and she cut me in every piece of skin. That was our friendship.

On her 16th birthday I took her on a date and kissed her. My hand went straight to wear she kept her knife, she didn't like but I didn't want to get slayed into pieces. She hit me in the face but it didn't hurt.

"Look, I like you, I have fun with you." I smiled into her eyes, the girl who tried to kill me several times and that it took almost getting a knife through my skull to notice her.

"Love is a weakness." Was her only answer. She looked down, and after a few minutes she completed. "We are to volunteer someday, don't tell me someone else can go, you know we are the best of our group, we have to make our district proud."

"Forget about that, for a second forget about training and killing. We still got two years, besides we're not gonna go at the same time. We win and come back home for each other." I kissed her again, it didn't matter what excuse she gave me, I wasn't going to give up on her.

"We win and come back." She repeated slowly, wanting to believe.

I made her believe. So we started dating, few were the people who knew about it. Like she said, love was a weakness.

Our reaping day had come. Both Clove and I were so anxious, it was finally our year to volunteer. In our district the boy was picked first. When they called some boys name I didn't recognize I lounged forward and volunteered, I looked back and saw a twelve-year-old boy looking at me with great admiration. I smiled, held my head high and walked to the stage like a champion. I was gonna win, I could fill it in my heart. When I got up the stage our trainer and mentor looked really pleased. My eeyes met with the dark eyes of the petite girl with the knives. Her eyes were proud 'You are going to win and came back to me' they said.

I didn't hear the girl's name being picked; I was too lost in my huntress's eyes. Besides, I wasn't worried, there other really great girls at the training center, Clove wouldn't have to volunteer. And suddenly there was a quick flash of panic in those eyes, moments later Clove was walking up to the stage. The escort asked if there were any volunteers for Clove, I dared to look around hopefully but I knew that the answer would be silence, she might be small but everyone knew she was the best. I couldn't believe it! Clove and I are the best tributes that could ever be this year, it would've been shameful if none of us went, but both of us? That was too cruel.

When it was over people congratulated me. Both Clove and I acted proud as we should've been but on the inside we were both ghosts.

Already inside de train and finally alone we went to our rooms. I was opening the door to go to her bit she was already there. For the first time in my life I saw her cry. If it was possible it broke my heart even more. In my arms there was this desperate young girl, crying, one I've never met.

"It's going to be fine." I whispered into her hair. From all the times I held her, this is the one she felt the smallest.

"No we are not!" She screamed at me. She hit me I the chest and made a movement with her hand like there should've been a knife there. Thank goodness that it didn't, I would've been dead. "Cato, you promised! 'We win and come back home for each other'! You promised!"

"I know I did babe, we are going to be fine." Who was I trying to fool, me or her? Maybe both…

"No we are not! Only one _lives! _It's a fight to the _death!" _

"I need you to win it for me then." I whispered.

"What?"

"This is for you." I got down on one knee and pulled out the ring I was going to give her after the reaping. "Will you marry me?" I asked. She dashed me again across de face with her imaginary knife. I grabbed her hand, put the ring on it and kissed her. It was a desperate kiss. A last kiss, because we knew that in the Capitol love is a weakness.

And that's how we woke up the next morning, together, naked, in my bed. We spent all the nights on the train together. It was a goodbye from my beautiful fiancé.

Clove and I had acted like strangers from the moment we stepped out of the train. We were cold and feared.

When we were ready for the interview I couldn't help but telling her how beautiful she looked.

"You forget who and where you are Cato." Was her only response, her eyes teasing me. She was wearing the ring.

After the interview I came crashing down with anger on the apartment. I was so mad I destroyed half the place. When the anger finally left me I grabbed Clove's hand and stalked out to my room murmuring something about having a good strategy.

"_They _get away with it!" I was careful for our escort and mentor not to hear me. I kissed her hard and resumed pacing. "Lover Boy is gonna be the first one I kill tomorrow! Him and his fiery crush."

"Maybe it's not real. That was their only strategy, last resort. You saw how pathetic she looked twirling around and giggling." She said calmly.

"Yes… maybe. But still." I realized I finally had her alone, I didn't feel like talking about the 'star-crossed-lovers' from district twelve. "Let's just take care of them tomorrow."

"Cato! _CATO!" _I heard her screaming. She was supposed to have come back already.

"When they announced that there could be two winners from the same district my heart almost jumped out of my chest and I had to fight very hard not to kiss her. I had never been so happy my entire life and i kept smiling at her. I they were doing for the Capitol's beloved Lover Boy and Girl on Fire, it didn't matter, we could go home too."

"CATO!" She screamed again, I ran as fast as my legs could take me.

As I got inside the clearing I heard a cannon booming. It had to be Katniss. I saw the boy from 11 running with two bags to the tall grass. I looked back at the cornucopia to see Katniss running.

"NO!" I screamed. I ran for Clove… It must've been 11 that killed her… Fire Girl could never be able to… No she couldn't be dead… No… We were supposed to go home…get married . "Clove…Clove…" I held her tight saying my goodbyes. I gave her one last kiss which she didn't respond to. Her eyes were blank, so many times I had lost myself in them… so many times… I took the ring and backed up to let the hovercraft to take her home. Yes, she's going home…

I stuffed the ring in my pocket and ran for the tall grass. He had the advantage of knowing the surrounding. But he killed Clove and he was gonna pay with his own life. And he did.

I was already to a point of madness… Especially when later a mutt with Clove's eyes started chasing me. It was probably just an illusion. But it still drove me insane. The armor was heavy but it kept me safe from the worst I of it. I ran to the cornucopia. Time for the grant finale.

As I fell to the mutts I realized that we should've played in love too. But I was going to go home now. I was going to meet her again. My throat screamed and my limbs hurt but I was already insane, my mind detached from my body. I'm glad I didn't kill Peeta, it wasn't their fault that Clove and I didn't win. It was the Capitol's fault. Nothing really mattered now. I longed to see Clove again.

_"Please." _I moaned. Katniss used her last arrow to make ir quicker. The last thing I heard was my cannon booming.

_Clove… _


End file.
